Game apparatus



A. H. DICKINSON GAME APPARATUS Filed Jan. 6, 1922 INVENTOR A TTORNE V Lil Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES ALBERT H. DICKINSON, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

GAME APPARATUS.

Application filed January 6, 1922. Serial No. 527,368.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. DICKIN- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a game apparatus and more particularly to one whereby the various plays of a baseball game may be indicated by means of a spinning top upon a field representative of an ordinary baseball field, the object of the invention being to reproduce the plays made by opposing teams by means of an object representative of a ball in play and obstacles whereby the travel of the ball is arrested at various points throughout the field.

In accomplishing this object I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. l is a perspective view of the apparatus including the playing field and ball member, a part of the confining wall being broken away to illustrate a feature of the field board.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective View of a peg holder and pegs comprising a part of the apparatus. 7

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a scoring device also employed with the apparatus.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

l designates the playing field, which may be constructed of a heavy sheet of cardboard, preferably squared and confined within a box-like enclosure 2, forming the four sides of the field. The board 1 at one corner is marked to form the base paths 3 and the four base positions, 4, 5, 6 and 7 corresponding to the home plate, first, second and third bases respectively. The paths, the bases and the territory surrounding the paths is indicated by printing the same on the board in colors different from that of the in and out fields, the fields being preferably printed in a green color to resemble the usual playing field, the terrltory adjacent the paths being yellow to correspond to the color of soil, and the paths themselves being preferably white to distinguish them from the field and in-field playing territory.

At each of the base positions is a socket 5, 6, 7 adapted for receiving pegs 8 indicating players occupying the various base positions, the home plate being smooth in order to avoid any interference with the movement of the playing object at that point.

The field sheet 1 is scored diagonally at the corner upon which the diamond appears and is raised to form an incline from the home plate in the direction of the playing field, the raised corner of the plate being supported on a block 9 and held permanently in position as indicated in Fig. l.

The object or ball member comprises a handle member 10 which extends into a spherical body or ball 11, and a spindle point 12, which extends from the body diametrically opposite the handle member, the spindle being of only sufficient length to permit the top to spin freely without interfering with the seating of the ball member 11 in the various sockets located throughout the field adapted to receive and hold the ball to indicate a play, as will presently be described.

The ball-receiving sockets 13 are located at various points and in close proximity throughout the playing field and are of substantially less diameter than the ball member so that the latter may come to rest therein when the spinning force of the top has been expended, the thickness of the board. being such that the ball member will set peripherally in the sockets without projecting therethrough, and being greater than the length of the spindle so that the latter may project into the socket when the ball is set without contacting the bottom of the box-like container of which the walls 2 form the side members.

Surrounding the sockets are rings 13 and printed on the rings are indications of the various plays in the game, such as outs, one, two and three base hits, home runs, errors, bunts, sacrifice hits or any other indication that may be desirable or customary in an ordinary game of baseball.

The first and third base lines are extended to form the usual foul lines, and the sockets 13 are located outside of the base lines so that should the object member come to rest in one of the outside sockets, the play of a foul ball may be indicated by the printing on the ring surrounding the sockets. Plays '011 the foul territory sockets are, of course, limited to outs and errors although foul strikes may be recorded on the scoring device should the object member fail to set in one of the sockets.

Located within the diamond and spaced transversely thereacuoss at about the pitchers position are pins 14, forming a barrier against which the object ball may contact to check the travel after it leaves the incline, and located inside of the barrier are sockets 15 of slightly greater diameter than the out-field sockets, the in-vfieldsockets being located in such proximity that narrow paths are formed therebetween, .over which the spindle must pass to reach the barrier and pass therethrough to the outer field, thereby increasing the probability of the ball stopping within the iii-field and thereby providing a close approximation to the play in an actual baseball game wherein the greatest number of cuts are made in the in-field. The iii-field sockets are marked to indicate strikes and balls as all of the players positions are assumed to be at that part of the field back of the barrier.

In addition to the ball and strike indications adjacent the in-field sockets :are other indications ofplays which may occur with men on bases, such for instance, as the stealing of a base by a :player who is occupying one of the base positions when a strike is made.

The game may be played bytwo persons representing opposing teams, one of whom may spin the top from the home position so that it will pass down the incline and come to rest in one of .the'sockets ,in-either the IllffiGldlOI the out-field, the barrier pins reverting the travel-of the object ;ball which may follow an irregular course :to various points .in the field because of its being diverted by abarrier :or by "the 'tem-p'orarylocation of the ball .in zone of the receiving sockets. When the ball has finally come to rest in one of the sockets, the'play indicated on the surrounding ring is entered on the scoring device and the play resumed until the first player has made three .outs, the intermediate playing being progressively indicated on the field by means of ithe pegs which will be insertedinto the various .base

' AVAILABLE (3gp 18,967

sockets and progressively advanced according to the instructions on the socket rings, or removed when the play indicates that a man on'base has been put out.

When the first player has completed his part of the inning, the second player takes the ball and continues the play with it until he in turn is retired. The first player then proceeds with his second inning and the game is continued for any selected number of innings, the player having made the most runs at the end of the game being declared 1gllfilwinner as in an ordinary game of base- Having thus described my invention, what I claim vand desire to secure by Letters- Patent is: v

1. A .game apparatus comprising aplayin-g field having sockets therein and having an inclined portion, a barrier extending across the field at the foot of the inclined portion and comprising spacedpins, and a top adapted for spinning on the field for travel between the pins and for location in any of the said sockets, the sockets .at the side of the barrier adjacent the incline being ofgreater diameter than those at the opposite side of the barrier, for the purpose set vforth.

2. A game apparatus comprising a board representative of a baseball diamond and provided with sockets, pins forming .a barrier across the diamond between the home and second base positions, and a spindle comprising a spherical body adapted :for passage between the barrier pins and for seating in said sockets, the board being inclined from home base position to a point between said position and the barrier,

3. A game apparatus comprising aboard representative of a baseball diamond and provided with sockets, pins forming a .barrier across the diamond between ithe home and second {base positions, and a spindle comprising a spherical body adapted ziior passage between the barrier pins and for seating .=in -said sockets, the board being in clined from )home base position to a point between said position and the barrier, ethe socketsin that part ofthe board at. the 'home base side of the barrier being of greater diameter than those at the opposite side of the :barrier, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof Iaflix mysignature.

ALBERT II-I. DICKINSON. 

